New white chick

[Courtney Galle]

I ordered some chicks from Paul 6 weeks back and I got this surprise white chick. Since I got such a great picture today I thought I'd share. Must have had a rare moment when the 20+ chicks paused for the picture.

[Don]

It  is an unusual moment when they stop at that age. 
Is this the recessive white out of Blue that Paul mentioned this year?
Looks like there may be a new line of whites coming out of Texas.

[Courtney Galle]

I believe they are from a pair of splash but I could be wrong and I don't know if those splash are from the blues he may have been talking about.

I wasn't intending to venture into whites so I haven't a clue how that particular recessive gene travels/works.

[Cesar “CJ”]

A lady in Arizona, got a few whites from her black and blue pen. Shes going to start a white flock.

I'm giving her my only white chick I was able to hatch from my white breeding pair(now deceased). I'm thinking its a cockerel. Hopefully she has enough to start a flock and spread them in Arizona

[Courtney Galle]

This one is looking like a pullet but it's to early for me to "guess" very well. I always feel like it's a guess. I've got one black chick that looks really promising and I still can't tell if it's a pullet or cockerel. Very raised comb but not very red, so I'm waiting.

I'm planing to pick a few of my best it's and go to the meet at the Texas state fair in October. They won't be prize winners or anything but I figure you gotta start somewhere so why not just jump in.

[greeneggsandham]

I believe they are from a pair of splash but I could be wrong and I don't know if those splash are from the blues he may have been talking about.

I wasn't intending to venture into whites so I haven't a clue how that particular recessive gene travels/works.

I've heard of splash getting "washed out" by breeding splash to splash too much.  I've seen some very light colored splash before but not totally white.  Are you sure you have a white?
I'd breed it to black and see if you get a blue to be sure.

[Paul]

  Fourteen years ago we had some recessive whites to appear out of some blacks.  We had several recessive whites each year for several years.  Then they disappeared for a long time until this year (2015).  We have one pair of splash the # + 8 splash pen which has produced several pure white chicks.  This pair has also produced several nice splash cockerels and pullets.

  We plan on test mating the recessive whites out of this pair, this fall before offering white chicks.  We will plan purchasing a good white cockerel and a few pullets to start another variety for us.

[Jean]

That's awesome Paul!  I think the line will end up being one of the best ones out there since they originated out of some nice blacks and blues.  I might have to get on the list for some chicks!

[DeWayne Edgin]

So just how was the white Ameraucanas made? What was used to start them? Now i am confused.

[Paul]

  John Blehm crossed whites with blacks several years ago.  The blacks from this cross carried white genes also.  When two blacks which carried the white genes were mated the recessive whites would appear.

[DeWayne Edgin]

Thanks Paul. Do you know what the white line was started off with from way back in the begining? Example like a white leg horn to some kind of ameraucana. Thanks

[Don]

Paul, We may have a couple of late hatched whites from the birds last year here too. They are guite young yet but they sure look white at this stage.  I will have to go back and check toe punches to see which matings they are from.

I also hatched a few whites out of an old line of Lav bantams for the first time this year.

[Cesar “CJ”]

I would think maybe a white oprington was used initially? Since they are recessive white and have white skin

[Don]

I am not sure where the whites started "originally" but they may have been used to improve many of the other colors over time.  I know Jerry said once that he only had one buff so would use a white/buff mating and would be back in buffs in two generations.  Australorps seem to be a common breed for some of the old improvements.

http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=1126.msg6855#msg6855

[Paul]

  I never heard anyone say.  We started with Ameraucanas in March 1999 with day old chicks from John Blehm and Duane Urch.  September 25, 1999 we purchased our start of wheaten and blue wheaten from Wayne Meredith at his place.  We were at our first show in Belvidere, Ill. which was only a short drive South of Wayne's.

  The reason John crossed the whites into his blacks was to attempt to improve the blacks egg color which had decreased due to crossing the black Ameraucanas with Australorps which was done in an attempt to improve their quality.

  We started at the time this cross was being done.  A few of our black chicks turned out to have single combs.  They were not used as breeders.  One pen that we started with laid excellent blue eggs-the best we ever had.  Those pullets most likely didn't have any Australorp in them.  The whole pen was very flighty.  Anytime someone or something past by they would jump in the air.  This damaged the tips of their tail and wing feathers causing them to be white.  Unknowing, that a damaged feather in its infant stage will leak its color causing it to be white, we sold the black hens to someone to butcher.

  If white tips appear on wing main feathers-symmetrically on the two wings one can bet that it is genetic rather than from an injury.  Its normal for the black and blue chicks to have white feathers in their wings.  This needs to molt out and their adult feathers need to free from the white.